Final Section Of Aircraft Carrier Leaves Glasgow

The final 750-tonne section of the Royal Navy's second flagship aircraft carrier, HMS Prince of Wales, has set sail for Rosyth.

Engineers described it as a "major milestone'' and said the Aft Island left BAE Systems' shipyard in Glasgow for Fife ten weeks ahead of schedule.

The section will now sail 1,335 miles around the south of England and up to the east of Scotland on a barge to reach Rosyth.

HMS Prince of Wales is the second of the new Queen Elizabeth Class aircraft carriers to be built for the UK after the 65,000-tonne HMS Queen Elizabeth.

They are the largest British warships ever constructed and can be used for a range of military activity from war fighting to providing humanitarian aid and disaster relief.

The ships have been constructed in blocks at yards across the UK and are being put together in Rosyth.

Iain Stevenson, Queen Elizabeth Class project director, said: "This is a proud day for our employees throughout the UK as well as our partners in the Aircraft Carrier Alliance.

"To see the final section delivered to Rosyth, ahead of schedule and to an incredible standard of engineering, is testament to the dedication, skill and ingenuity of all those working on the programme.

"There's more hard work to be done but there's also an incredible momentum behind the programme as mission systems are tested on HMS Queen Elizabeth and assembly continues for HMS Prince of Wales.

"HMS Queen Elizabeth is now very much alive and we're fast approaching the day that she'll make her first triumphant entry into her Portsmouth home.''

Defence Procurement Minister Philip Dunne said: "Our aircraft carriers, the largest ships ever built in Scotland for the Royal Navy, will help to secure the UK's interests both at home and abroad.

"Our new F-35 Lightning II aircraft will fly from the decks of HMS Queen Elizabeth in 2018.

"This is all made possible by our growing equipment budget, which has increased to £178 billion, ensuring we are providing our men and women with the best equipment possible.''